Tape head with side-shielded writers and process for making same

A tape head, comprising:

• a plurality of read heads configured to read data from a tape;
• and
• a plurality of write heads configured to write data to the tape, wherein each of the plurality of write heads comprises:
• a main pole disposed at a media facing surface (MFS);
• a trailing shield disposed adjacent to a first surface of the main pole at the MFS;
• a leading shield disposed adjacent to a second surface of the main pole at the MFS, the leading shield having a first depth;
• a first side shield disposed adjacent to a third surface of the main pole, the first side shield having a second depth less than the first depth;
• and
• a second side shield disposed adjacent to a fourth surface of the main pole, the second side shield having a third depth substantially equal to the second depth, wherein the second depth and the third depth are each individually approximately equal to or greater than a track width of the main pole, and wherein the second depth and the third depth are each individually 0.5 μm to 100 μm.

A tape head, comprising:

• a plurality of read heads configured to read data from a tape;
• and
• a plurality of write heads configured to write data to the tape, wherein each of the plurality of write heads comprises:
• a main pole disposed at a media facing surface (MFS);
• a trailing shield disposed adjacent to a first surface of the main pole at the MFS;
• a leading shield disposed adjacent to a second surface of the main pole at the MFS, the leading shield having a first depth;
• a first side shield disposed adjacent to a third surface of the main pole, the first side shield having a second depth less than the first depth;
• a second side shield disposed adjacent to a fourth surface of the main pole, the second side shield having a third depth, wherein the second depth and the third depth are each individually 0.5 μm to 100 μm, and the second depth and the third depth are each individually approximately equal to or greater than a track width of the main pole;
• and
• a side gap surrounding the second, third, and fourth surfaces of the main pole.